George Soros

George Soros is an American currency speculator, stock investor, businessman, philanthropist, and political activist.

The Forbes lists of 2009 Soros as the 29th-richest person in the world, with a current net worth estimated at $11.0 billion. Soros has given $6 billion to various causes since 1979. Soros is the founder of Soros Fund Management. In 1970 he co-founded the Quantum Fund with Jim Rogers, which created the bulk of the Soros fortune. Rogers retired from the fund in 1980. Other partners have included Victor Niederhoffer and Stanley Druckenmiller. Despite working as an investor and currency speculator, he argues that the current system of financial speculation undermines healthy economic development in many underdeveloped countries. Soros blames many of the world's problems on the failures inherent in what he characterizes as market fundamentalism. His opposition to many aspects of globalization has made him a controversial figure.